El Camino boys squeak past Vista a second time

Every boys basketball game in the Palomar League this season figures to be a battle. Last night's game between second-ranked El Camino and eighth-ranked Vista was no different.

Behind 17 points, nine rebounds and eight blocks from 6-foot-8 senior center Luke Evans, El Camino held on for a 59-58 win, its second one-point victory over Vista this season.

All six teams in the Palomar League entered the night with winning records and at least 10 wins. Now the Wildcats (17-3) have a leg up with a 2-0 league mark. Vista (16-4) is 1-1.

“Any team in this league can beat you on any given night,” El Camino coach Ray Johnson said. “This game was very similar to the last one (in a tournament). We got down early, came back and took the lead, and then they came back and we pulled it out in the end.”

The Wildcats came out listless and fell behind by 11 points in the second quarter, 23-12. Senior guard Steven Aldridge scored seven of his 11 points in the second period as El Camino cut the lead to 29-26 at the half.

The Panthers did a good job of denying Evans the ball, holding him to four points in the first half.

“We knew we just had to play harder,” Evans said. “We tend to come out slow this year.”

Ryan Ena, a 6-foot-5 sophomore, helped the Wildcats stay close, finishing with 10 points and 12 rebounds. He also played tough defense on Vista's best player, Quincy Lawson, who along with teammate Troy Johnson, scored 18 points each.

“He probably played his best game tonight,” Ray Johnson said of Ena.

The Wildcats didn't lead until Evans hit a short shot over Lawson with 3:11 left in the third period.

The Wildcats would forge a 51-42 edge on a Griffin Hunter trey before Vista roared back to tie it at 55 on a layup by Troy Johnson. But Evans scored inside with 1:16 remaining, and an Aldridge steal and dish to Evans made it 59-55.

After a Panthers free throw, Vista had one chance to tie it, but a three was off the mark and the Panthers got a layup off the rebound with 6 seconds left. By the time El Camino got the ball inbounds, the horn sounded.

“I think we missed four free throws, two on the front end of one-and-ones down the stretch,” Vista coach Charlie Mercado said. “You can't expect to come into a place like El Camino and win a game if you don't make your free throws.”